What remains of her
by HaruhismFollower
Summary: Kyon and Sasaki have been in North Highschool for a year. A year of mundane occurrences and irrelevant discussions. But now strange phenomena are starting to occur. Old beings awaken, unknown cults start to wreak havoc as reality starts to crumble. The end of the world is nigh. God has left us behind as if it had never existed. Now is the time for monsters.
1. Everyone believed and nobody questioned

I was aware I was sleeping. My hands seemed to have six or seven fingers every time I looked at them, I could breathe through my nose, and my environment changed every time I looked around. At the time, I didn't know where I was. I didn't know how it happened either. I was just having a dream when suddenly my mind gained clarity.

I was in a room. Not very big, at least the size of my own bedroom. It was naturally bright without any windows like I had night vision. I could thank my brain for not letting me be scared on my own head. Everything was made of concrete. Except, of course, the chair I was currently sitting on. It was then when I started hearing a faint ticking sound. Someone was tapping a crystal window or maybe some durable plastic with a metal of some kind. I listened very carefully. My head was trying desperately to remember the sound, trying to check all the catalog of recorded sounds I had in my head.

I felt myself gliding around the room, trying to find the source of the sound, but it just got weaker and weaker. As if it knew I was looking for it. It didn't cross my mind that I could probably control my own dream, that I could probably stop the sound and change this gray room. I just knew this wasn't real.

I turned around. I saw someone else sitting on the chair, and I knew it wasn't me. I recognised him immediately. I could be dreaming, but my mind still remembered that your dreams are composed of memories. And this person was…

Everything turned orange. The light seeping through my room's curtains woke me up before my alarm did. By alarm, I am referring to my sister, who regularly woke me up before I even realized. This didn't tend to happen, so it was normal for me to be selfish and try to get as much sleep as I could. It hadn't been that long since the second year started, and my body was still sluggishly adapting to waking up early again. Having weird dreams didn't help either.

It wasn't that long before my sister rushed in and woke me up as rough as possible. I wasn't in any way to do anything about it, so I robotically followed my routine: Washing my teeth, having breakfast, making sure that I didn't look completely dead, and, of course, putting up my school uniform.

Before I even realized, I was already riding my bicycle without the necessary coordination to not appear drunk. But at the very least, it was that what completely woke me up.

With a year of experience doing this ride to North High, I was confident I could do it with my eyes closed, but even then, I couldn't shake off the feeling that I forgot something. Did I leave something at home?

After an uneventful ride and leaving my bike secured, I stumbled across two familiar figures. The taller one was clearly Taniguchi, and besides him was Kunikida.

"Hey, hey, if it isn't Mr. K!" Taniguchi said as I slowly approached them.

"I have enough with one nickname." I mentioned as I greeted him.

"Yeah, yeah…! But you know, we gotta look forward and make new nicknames. I thought it would sound better if I said it out loud, but you have to admit Kyon is tough to beat!"

"You called me Mr. K as well..." Kunikida muttered before smiling again. "By the way, hello! You look more tired than usual." He continued.

"You noticed? I'm not sure why my body feels very sluggish today."

"Nervous about the test results?" Kunikida said and carried on. "Well, I'm not sure if this will help or hurt you, but we're not getting them today."

I wasn't particularly nervous until he mentioned it. But why should I be? It was just a mock exam, it's not like it's the end of the world. Still, I would feel better if I passed it.

"Ah, you simple-minded creatures." Taniguchi suddenly spoke with an arrogant grin. "Still thinking about exam results and such, while not focusing on what's really important at our age." He tapped his chest two times. "Having someone special to care about."

I scanned him for five long seconds before asking. "What's wrong with him?"

"Many things." Taniguchi's smug smile broke down as Kunikida giggled. "But I think it's because he had a date." He said while slowly getting some distance from him.

Taniguchi then started off rambling about how he had made the great leap forward or whatever, my brain stopped whatever information my ears were picking up. I wasn't jealous or anything. I was happy for him, but he gets too big for his boots when things like this happen.

Not too long after, or so I wanted to think, we entered our classroom. I sat down at my place and opened my bag. I stretched my body as I thought of what subject we had on Wednesdays, trying to squeeze the information out of my brain more easily. My body said it was maths, but my mind was pushing hard for physics.

"It's maths." I heard a familiar voice behind me saying. "So, you should probably put down the biology book you have in your hands."

I looked at my hand and noticed that I had indeed grabbed the wrong book. I must not have woken up entirely today.

"Yeah… Thanks for that, not sure what's going on with me today." I didn't turn around as the girl behind me giggled. "Have you been there since I arrived?" I asked.

"Yes, indeed. I kind of noticed since you didn't say anything to me." Without looking, I already knew she had a broad smile drawn on her face. "I really thought you were ignoring me." She said while covering her delighted expression.

"Right… Sorry about that. The sun woke me up, so maybe that messed up my internal clock." I pulled up my math book and looked at my peer.

"If anything, the sun should have _fixed_ your internal clock. Maybe it's more related to the mock exam we had?" She said while cocking her head. "Last year, I helped you pull through the final exams, maybe you shouldn't have declined my help." There was no ill-meaning behind her words, just slight concern.

"It's the first one, and who knows? Maybe I've pulled up a miracle."

As I said those words, Okabe entered through the door and started his lesson.

* * *

After Okabe explained he didn't have any test results, my day didn't have much more of interest. I had lunch with Taniguchi and Kunikida, which to my dismay, meant hearing Taniguchi's rambling about love and friendship. This was not the first time it had happened. But I hoped this wouldn't be as long as last time; Winter vacations never felt so good after those last days with him.

When the bell rang for the last time, and classes were dismissed, I felt a feeble tug on my shoulder.

"So another day without the test results. You're getting pretty lucky."

"I guess but… Hey, what do you mean by lucky? I might have passed, you know." I protected myself as I put back my books into my bag.

"Are you going to let chance to save your scores?" I wasn't looking at her, but I could sense her patronizing smile. "I'm not going to force you into accepting my help, though. Just do what you think it's best."

"That's a strange way to coerce someone." I put my bag over my shoulder and looked at her.

She was still on her seat, resting her head on her left hand. Her demeanour had always been very calm and rational, some people even called her dismissive. Those traits were followed hand in hand with good grades, which was almost palpable. Why she joined this high school was beyond me.

"Fine, I admit defeat. Teach me, oh, great maths guru."

"You have to say the magic words." She teased me as she stood up with grace.

"This is for what happened last time, isn't it? I told you I didn't mean to."

She tilted her head before shrugging. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, yeah. Never happened." I sighed heavily and continued. "Alright, I'll say it. Can you please help me with maths, Sasaki?"

I heard a soft giggle coming out of her as she started walking out of the classroom without answering. It wouldn't be this first one she did that. But I didn't know how to respond to that, which was probably why she still did it. The murmurs of some girls looking at me brought me back to our reality.

"Are you coming?" Sasaki's head popped out of the doorframe, looking at me with a dubious expression.

I didn't answer as I followed her.

* * *

A few minutes after getting our bikes, Sasaki stopped berating me with my math problems. She obviously meant well, the fault laid with my somewhat stubborn head. She helped me last year as well, but I wanted to try for myself. Besides, these were just mock exams, nothing too serious.

There was still a long trip to the train station. I usually accompany her to the train station, a bit of a tradition we developed in middle school. I stopped having cram school, but she didn't. Even then, these trips felt too short. Sasaki's conversations were always… different. Sure, we usually talked of typical topics, whatever sprung up from our minds or any kind of school drama that had arisen. But there were other times. Like lightning, they flashed firmly but briefly and was quickly consumed by night. Whatever hopeful topic she brought up was also followed by her grim cynicism.

"Maybe I should stop bringing my own bike." She said while glancing at the tires. "They're getting pretty beaten up, and I don't even use it that much."

"That's pretty lazy of you. You want the same treatment of middle school?"

"Well, if it saves my decaying tires, I will gladly accept the offer."

"I was joking."

"I mean, those days were pretty nice. We went to cram school together, your grades were better… and I got a free bike ride." The hue in her smile shifted. "It would be better if we had a choice in the matter, no? I think that plots like this aren't exciting."

"What matter? Cram school?" My confusion wasn't very well hidden.

"I'm referring to this." She pointed to the ground. "This situation or I guess, this routine. You chose to not go to cram school. Your individual action changed the individual. Which means that by not going to cram school means you have changed my situation."

"That would mean that we do have a choice, no? I mean, I could choose to go to cram school. That would change your own routine."

"It's easy to say. But then why are you not doing it?" She didn't say it out spite. She isn't that kind of person. "Like I said, only individuals can change individuals. That also applies to yourself. Only you can change your own situation."

"To a point, I guess. But you know, that also costs money. Going to a cram school again tightens our budget. And if I get some part-time job, then I won't have time to study. It's a catch-22."

"That's true. Money has more power than an individual, at least to a point. I'm sure you wouldn't kill anyone for any amount of money, but some other people might. It has a strange collective power that affects people in different manners. It's like some kind of god that gets stronger depending on the number of zeros you say."

"I guess that's why some tribes on the Amazonas don't want any contact with the outside world. That god seems very frightening unless you have much of it."

"Money allows us to do some movements or not, so unless we have enough of it, we don't have all our cards to make a choice. That's why I think it's somewhat boring. We created money, and we ourselves decided that it would have such power. It's kind of terrifying in a way." Her eyes brightened as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "Imagine if we all thought that monsters existed."

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that. Lots of kids believe in Santa, and the fat guy hasn't come to our home so far."

"Obviously. Minds can't create matter. But money doesn't need to be physical to affect people, just like Santa doesn't need to be physical to give presents. And neither do monsters need to be physical to scare people." She removed her hand and looked at her clock.

"Have you read Lovecraft lately, or what's going on?" I retorted with an awkward chuckle. She gave a hearty laugh before getting on her bike.

"Not really, it's something that has been on my mind. It's just bizarre, you know? Imagine explaining the power some piece of paper has to some aliens. They would be freaked out!"

"Yeah, they would be! If they exist, that is."

"I was under the impression your friend got replaced by an alien, he seemed really out of place." Her pace suddenly hastened. "I need to be a bit faster, or I'll miss my train."

"Taniguchi has a girlfriend or something, don't ask me. I hoped you didn't bring him up... Since, you know..."

"Why's that? Don't you like my ramblings about love?" Her bike gained speed, and she looked back to send me a half-smile. "As much I would like to have a good chat about it, time's running out for me."

"Yeah, don't worry. See you tomorrow."

I waved my hand as I watched her ride away. I was about to go my own way when I saw her quickly do a 180-degree turn and head towards me again.

"Tomorrow I don't have cram school, so let's have a math session you won't forget. In your house, alright?" It was strange to see Sasaki forget something, but I quickly agreed.

As soon as I lost sight of her, I started to realise the business of the street. The faint smell of food made its way through my nose, making my mouth water at the thought of it. After hesitating a few seconds, I decided to go home. Interestingly enough, I couldn't turn my head around what Sasaki said or what she actually meant by it.

She spoke of the idea of "if everyone believes something, it becomes real." Sasaki was implying it throughout the whole conversation, and she wouldn't bring that up if it wasn't necessary. The timer ran out so perhaps tomorrow I could inquire more.

I tried to make sense of the conversation while riding my bike, but the trip was over too quickly. My neighborhood quietly came into view, as it always does. In the background, some gray clouds blotted the evening sun out, tainting the streets with a soft orange dim.

Coming back home reminded me of the weirded-out feeling that had come over myself this morning, which surprisingly Sasaki didn't point out. Perhaps she thought I was also scared of the test results, like Kunikida. There wasn't anything else that could explain it, since I didn't feel ill or anything like that. My subconscious probably wanted me to study more, which they provoked by cutting off the dopamine supplies.

Just as I was reaching my home, I noticed a tri-coloured cat standing in the middle of the street, looking at my direction. The lazy animal didn't even try to get out of the way as I was heading full speed. I hugged the wall, trying to avoid the cat without losing any momentum, after all, cats are always like that. Not caring at all for everything humans do. Except for the fact that it moved towards my right at the same time I moved.

I hit the brakes before anything worse happened.

"What's the matter with you?" I asked the cat, knowing full well it didn't understand me.

The calico cat looked at me as if inviting me to move it out of the way. Moments later, it climbed up the wall that separated the households with the street and stood there as it watched me. I almost expected it to talk and demand an apology for nearly crashing into it, but nothing like that happened. In the end, I am pretty sure cats don't speak.

I continued my way, this time on my feet, as I was close enough to my house to not care. The cat stalked me, only stopping when I turned around to stare at it. It wanted something, that's for sure.

Feeling a bit creeped out by my stalker, I quickly parked my bike and entered my house.

"I'm home!" I sat down in the genkan and started to remove my shoes as a high pitched voice welcomed me home.

My little sister came down the steps and hugged me without warning.

"Welcome back! How was your day?" This was my daily routine when coming back home, being greeted by my sister, and being asked the same questions.

"Good, I guess."

She quickly released me and grabbed my bag.

"Did you buy anything in the way here?" She asked while snooping around my bag.

"Hey, what are you doing? Don't rummage in other people's belongings!" I snatched back my school bag and stood up, having removed my shoes flimsily.

My sister pouted before answering back. "But I'm curious! I want to know what you're going to gift me…"

Her words slowly sank in my head as I tried to get a grip on the situation.

She's looking for a gift. For her. So that is what my head was trying to remind me of.

"I'm not going to let your birthday present be spoiled, you know. I already have it anyway." I hastily made up a lie and started to climb the staircase towards my room, with my sister firmly behind me.

"You did?! When?" Her curiosity kept nagging me, and so did her constant tugs of my clothing. "What is it? Is it a toy? A jewel? A treasure?!"

"What do you think I am, a pirate? I don't have enough money for that."

"Then what is it?!" As soon as she said that, I quickly sped up and closed the door into my room.

I heard my sister's complaints, but I ignored them as I plummeted into the bed.

As I did that, I remembered Sasaki's words.

"This world is not that interesting, huh… Maybe you're right." I said out loud.

In the end, I've always expected something to happen. But the only things that are happening is that the world is being polluted beyond repair, that highschool life is stable but boring, and that anything that would spice up this world is scientifically impossible. I guess the only good thing is that I have someone like Sasaki to talk to when something interesting happens.

"Everyone should believe that something good has to happen. Good grief…"

I incorporated myself and looked at my messy room.

"Maybe I should tidy this up before Sasaki comes."


	2. Logic will save us

I heard it again. The ticking noise. Except for this time, I wasn't dreaming. My hand quickly searched for my alarm-clock, trying to see what hour it was.

3:47 A.M.

I closed my eyes again and tried to find sleep still. The ticking subsisted. Minutes of torture later, I decided that it was just too much for my sleep-deprived ears. I sat down in my bed while trying not to frown much and listened carefully. The sound wasn't too loud; It was similar to a ticking clock but softer and more distant like someone knocking at a door far away. However, it was following a pattern; one, two, three, and silence. If my mind wasn't playing any tricks on me, it was coming from my screen door. Perhaps the wind had carried some branch from a nearby tree, and it was hitting it against the glass.

My eyes, still adjusting to the dark, lingered for a few seconds on the curtains. The idea of going to check the sound without the light on was quickly shot down by my common sense, and I headed towards the light switch. I flicked it. It took me a few seconds for my eyes to adapt to the LED light. It took me even fewer seconds to notice that the only sound that filled my room was the buzzing of the lamp.

My brain was only thinking of going back to sleep, so if the issue of ticking was resolved, I wasn't going to question it. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, that's what they used to say. I flipped the switch back off and paused; the noise didn't return. I didn't need any more reasons to go back to sleep.

* * *

The day passed without any remarkable event. My mind didn't even begin to work until the last bell rang. The girl behind me wasn't chatty either, but she had to go in front of the class to finish an entropy exercise. Thankfully for me, highschool level physics weren't a lost cause like mathematics.

Some idle talk was had as we slugged our way towards my bike, in singular. Sasaki's own bicycle apparently had died, her tires popped, not too long before she reached her home. She blamed irony. I blamed her awful timing.

"A present for your sister?" Sasaki muttered as I got onto my bike. "You're her brother, you should know better than me."

"Well, I was hoping for some advice. She's getting into the age where cat plushies aren't cutting it for her." I made an attempt to turn my head to check if she was ready to go, but her arms wrapping around my waist confirmed it for me. "Ready?"

"Yep!" Sasaki was enjoying this way more than me, with a happy humming that I could barely hear. After all, she didn't have to pedal. "I can already feel the memories flooding back in."

"It's the fee I'm paying for the math classes." When we went to cram school, we didn't have to go through busy streets filled with students. And I was in better shape.

I rode swift but steady, too concerned to not go flying because of the new center of balance we had. If anyone could watch my face at that moment, my frown would make it to the Guinness world records for all the wrong reasons.

"Anyways, some advice for a present… What does she like? Last time we were together, she really liked those handmade wristbands. Although I guess that fad has gone with the wind."

"Yeah, that's the issue. Right now, there isn't anything trendy since classes have just started. I'm not desperate yet, but I don't want to put it off until the last minute." I softly hit the brakes as soon as we hit a descending slope, but that didn't stop Sasaki from hugging me closer for support. "And about what she likes… Animals, messing with me, weird music bands I've never heard of…"

"You sound like an old man." She giggled behind my back. "Buy her an animal encyclopedia, 600 pages on complex materials she can barely read but will surely never forget." I wasn't sure if she was serious or just mocking me.

"You're even worse than me! She likes animals in a soft, cuddly way. She doesn't care about the behaviour habits of Indian macaques." At least I didn't think so.

"I was just trying to lighten up the mood. You're not the type of person who gets nervous." Her voice switched to a more serious tone. "You could always adopt a cat or a dog. She would stop bothering you so much if she had a small fluffy friend." I had thought of something similar, but I don't think the cat deserves it.

"Well, that's true. I would have to speak with my parents about that, and I don't want to bother them. Besides, I don't think animals like me. Just yesterday, a cat tried to kill itself and give me a head concussion while I was riding back home."

"Animals have a different way of viewing the world. Even the smartest animals still rely on instinct. You could have gotten close to her litter, and the cat, assuming it was a mother, decided it was better to lay down her life for them rather than move out of the way."

"The thing is that she laid down her life. But literally. The cat just laid down on my path, _twice_."

"That is more peculiar. But it's still a cat. We can't comprehend what they're actually thinking since they're not domesticated as much as dogs. The only thing I can think of it's that you must have stumbled into its territory or something along those lines." She followed up with a strange chuckle.

"What is it? Are my cat troubles that funny?"

"Ah, not really. I think it's amusing. The cat might be defending its territory, and you're doing the same when your sister enters your room. If this was a drama play, you'd end up adopting the cat."

"No thank you. I prefer to just… wait, listen, and enjoy my peaceful life without any drama or cats." My stomach shuddered at the thought of being dragged into some irrelevant melodramatic relationship for drama's sake.

Following my answer, Sasaki moved her hands towards my shoulders and used the rear carrier to lean against my back. As soon as I felt her breath on my left ear, she replied. "That's why it's so easy to talk with you. I'm not sure if anyone's told you this, but listening isn't something easy to do. And you excel at it."

I tensed up as my brain tried to process the change in the wind drag and Sasaki's words at the same time. I couldn't just ignore that she was complimenting me, and while I appreciated it, her motives weren't anything beyond friendship. Even then, this was as weird as Sasaki getting mad.

"Kyon?"

She tapped my back as I didn't answer quickly enough.

"Yeah?"

"You still don't like your nickname, huh?" With that, Sasaki herself changed topics. "Anyways, presents, presents, presents…"

After some minutes of back and forth, we still didn't agree on a present for my sister, but I narrowed down the options.

It took a few more minutes to reach my house, which Sasaki still recognised. Luckily for me, no suicidal cat appeared on my way today. And I hoped it wasn't stalking me either.

I heard my sister ran towards the entrance as soon as I opened the door.

"Welcome hom-" My sister's usual greeting got cut short as soon as she saw Sasaki. "Sis! It's been a long time since last time!"

My sister calls Sasaki sister but refuses to call me brother. Did I do something horrible in my past life?

"You've grown a lot since last time! You didn't reach my shoulders like you do now." Sasaki, who was ordinarily introverted, also seemed more excited to be with my sister than with me.

I quickly removed my shoes as both girls started whispering stuff to each other, giggling too much for my liking. Was this what an unholy alliance looked like? Had I done the equivalent of throwing cholera into the water supply?

"Listen, we're going to be studying, alright? So don't bother your brother too much." Sasaki rested her eyes on me for a second as she said those words.

"I never do! Can we play after you finish? Are you going to stay for dinner?" My sister inquired, knowing full well that she was lying with those first words.

"I wouldn't want to intrude like this. We'll have dinner together some other time." Sasaki said while leaving her shoes tidily beside mine. "We can play afterwards though! But for that, Kyon has to finish studying."

My sister, who was pouting through the whole explanation, suddenly smiled and nodded happily.

"Yes, I understand. No bothering from me!" She laughed as she climbed up the stairs and ran towards her room.

"She didn't even tell me a word." I mentioned after the door to her room suddenly closed.

"Well, she sees you every day." Sasaki smiled while pointing at the staircase. "In the second floor to the right." She explained like a flight attendant.

"Lead the way, you know it already." I motioned her to continue with a quick handwave.

"Normally the host shows the way, not the guest." She climbed the stairs as she sent me a playful smile.

"Well, my sister ran off to her room, so she can't show you hospitality now."

As soon as we entered my room, I closed my door tight. Anti-sister measures.

Sasaki sat down on my bed as I left my school bag beside her.

"Well, where should we begin?" I said as I removed my school jacket.

"By reinforcing last year's math." She opened her own bag and showed me a familiar book that quickly made my memories come back. "If you forgot how to do this, this year will be lost on you." Her smile didn't reinvigorate me at all. In fact, it scared me more.

Last year's exams flooded my mind. This was not going to be pretty.

* * *

Two hours later, my pen dropped to the table in victory and exasperation. The evening sun was filling my room, and my shoulders collapsed down in exhaustion. Sasaki barely even stretched as she got up from the chair I snatched from the kitchen and quickly cleaned up her books.

"Well, that wasn't as bad as I feared." She said with a soft sigh. "At least you remembered most things."

"I surprise even myself. I guess you explained it pretty well."

"If you say so! Although judging by the face you had after that mock exam, I doubt the next lecture we'll be having is going to be as smooth." She answered with a cheeky pat in my back.

"Well, that's true. And somewhat evil."

I noticed that both cups of water that I had brought were empty. Besides hospitality, I also didn't want Sasaki to lose her voice in the middle of the explanation.

"Do you want anything else to drink? I assure you my tea isn't that bad." I offered.

"I'm not in a tea mood, but I could do with some more water." She sat down on my bed with her legs crossed. "Besides, after this, I promised to talk with your sister."

"I thought she wanted to play." I muttered to nobody in particular.

"Also, that cat has been in your window for the past hour."

I twisted my head so quickly that my neck almost snapped. The calico cat from yesterday was sitting patiently on my balcony, looking into my room.

"T-That creepy bastard." I stomped my way to my window and closed the curtains immediately.

"So that's your suicidal cat. It seems… lovely?" Sasaki followed me closely and slowly lifted the edge of the curtain to inspect the animal. "It hasn't moved at all, you know."

I moved the curtain as well to watch it. As soon as it noticed me, it meowed.

"How weird. It looks healthy, so it's not searching for refuge. Perhaps the cat has gotten infatuated with you. You should be proud, tri-coloured cats are said to bring good luck to merchants and sailors."

I drew the curtains again and observed it more carefully. "I'm not a merchant or a sailor, though."

"Are you even sure it's the same cat?" Sasaki went back to her bag and pulled out her flip phone. She kneeled beside me and took a photo of the cat. Moments later, my phone buzzed.

"I sent you a photo. Next time you see it, you can confirm if it's the same." She got up and glanced at my face.

"We're the cat busters now." I joked as I tried to scare the cat while poking my nail on the screen door.

"If it turns out that you've got a clowder following you around, I'd start to get worried. Just like a dog can't comprehend the plot, characters, circumstances, and technology behind your favourite TV show, perhaps we can't understand what's happening in front of us. A dog doesn't even know what a TV is after all."

"What, are you saying the cat is smarter than us?" I said sceptically.

"Well, no. Also yes. Animals are smart in some other ways we are not. Monkeys can even beat us in some tasks. So perhaps this cat is searching for something we don't know about. Maybe something necessary for its life. But that's alright. There's nothing wrong with being clueless dogs and living fulfilling lives without knowing everything." Sasaki giggled and inspected her phone again. "Speaking of fulfilling lives, we don't have any pictures together." She continued, prompting me to answer.

"I'm not exactly a photogenic person. I also have a cat problem."

"Me neither." She looked at me for approval as she held her phone expectantly. "The cat won't understand what we're doing, you know? We're on top of the food chain, we can eat it if it realises it."

At this point, I wasn't sure I understood it as well. But if she was saying it makes her happy, then I wouldn't object. Besides, Sasaki is the kind of person who doesn't usually ask for anything, so there's no reason for me to refuse.

"I accept, but on the condition we don't eat the cat. Deal?"

"I'll think about it."

* * *

I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to shoo the cat away. In contrast, Sasaki and my sister were doing something that I could only define as girly stuff. Hopefully, she could pry out some info on what she wants for her birthday.

When I finally managed to make the cat flee, Sasaki came into my bedroom to tell me she was going home. I didn't realise the sun was almost entirely down. My sister and I said our goodbyes as she refused to let me take her to the station. She didn't have a bicycle, so I didn't want her to get tired after this long day.

Not too long after I had dinner, I found myself in my room once again. I checked my balcony to make sure the cat was gone, and I plummeted to my bed.

My phone buzzed once again. Another message from Sasaki.

The text said: "Saw something on my way home, chasing some birds away."

Attached to the text, there were two pictures. The first one was a picture of a corner of an obscure street, probably near her place, with the focus on what I assumed was a cat melding with the bad ambience light of a lamp-post. Thanks to the night setting, only its front features were distinguishable, and it looked eerily similar to my stalker cat. It was looking at the camera, at Sasaki, with some caution. However, the pattern of the fur was wrong.

I searched for Sasaki's previous message that contained the photo with the balcony cat. The picture wasn't as good as I hoped since I could see both myself and Sasaki in the reflection of the screen door, but I could still see the cat clearly. The eye of the street cat was covered completely on a black spot, unlike mine, where it was above it.

Or perhaps it was just the camera's resolution playing a trick on the pixels.

I checked on the other attached picture. It was merely the photo we took a few hours before. There wasn't much to say about it. Sasaki's awkward smile was cute in its own way. Then again, she always looked that way. I didn't bother to check on myself.

I texted her back. "It doesn't look like the same cat, but it does look way more creepy than mine."

With a sigh, I prayed for the cat hijinks, leaving my phone on the table. However, it buzzed again.

It wasn't a message this time, just a low battery warning. Before recharging it back up, I closed all the photos I had been checking. The phone had an effect that melded and dissolved the photo with the background when you closed it, changing the brightness of the picture for a few milliseconds. So perhaps that's why I noticed.

The first picture closed without any problem, but when I closed the view of the balcony cat, I discerned something. I opened it back up and focused on the reflections. Sasaki's own reflected image was mostly covered by the phone, only leaving her legs to be noticeable. I was beside her, no space between us. I couldn't see anything right now, but when the brightness of the picture was reduced, it appeared.

I double-checked. I opened the picture and closed it. Same results. Same entity.

I scratched my head, trying to get some answers out. My mind was playing tricks on my head. Deep inside, I've always wanted these things to be real. But Sasaki, as dull and straightforward as she could be, was still right: Think logically. The videos of supposed UFOs are always in a low resolution, so you can't see the tinkering. The monster inside your closet is your mind thinking that the clothes inside it are part of arms or bodies. That same monster is created because your brain wants to survive.

I applied that knowledge to this situation. The brightness was reduced in less than half a second before it closed, it wasn't of a very high resolution, and the brain is wired, so you recognize the pattern of faces. Besides, there was nothing on the picture we took moments later, so it was just the reflection being weird.

"Sorry, brain, go back with the me of two years ago because I'm not falling for this one."

I turned off my phone and connected it to the battery charger, thinking that the best thing was to not overthink it like I was doing.

I laid down on my bed and tried to sleep.

Just as Orpheus was wrapping me gently on her arms, my door swung open. I felt my soul leaving my body as someone rushed in and jumped into my bed.

"There's a kitty in my window!" My sister yelled.

I cursed. A lot. Partly because I was already half-sleep. Partially because my sister entered my room like Jack the Ripper. Partly because the damn cat was back!


	3. The girl from Before

My sleep kept being interrupted throughout the night. There weren't any sounds like the prior night, it was just my own mind suddenly waking up. By the time the morning came, I felt like a truck had ran me over.

After a full breakfast, the food forced the fatigue leave my body, warming up quickly under the spring sun as soon as I left my home. That brief moment of uplift was ruined as soon as I saw my unwanted visitor.

Hanging out on the wall that surrounded the house, near the gate, the same cat from yesterday and the day before was staring at me with an unique glance.

"What's the problem?" I couldn't believe myself that I tried to talk with the cat. "Are you hungry? Hurt? Maybe you're pregnant?"

The cat didn't shift at all as I interrogated it. I lifted my hand and moved it closer to its face, but after a curious sniff, the animal didn't move or even stir. I shook my head and continued my way, feeling the cat's eyes piercing my back.

After that, the first few classes flew past me and before I realised it, I was already eating lunch with Kunikida and the missing Taniguchi, who had gone to the cafeteria.

"So? Do you see it?" I had lent Kunikida my phone with the strange picture so he could finally dissipate my doubts.

"I see a cat."

"Besides that."

"I see you and someone else. Isn't that Sasaki?"

"No. I mean, yes. Look, you have to close and open the picture and then focus on the reflection."

His fingers quickly reacted to my words and he spent the next few seconds repeating the same actions.

"Yeah, I see it." I sighed relieved as it signified the well-being of my sanity. "It looks like a dog."

"What? No it doesn't. It's like… a face, right? Dogs don't have those kind of eyes and nose."

"Those russian dogs do. I can't remember the name, the borzoi? My auntie's at least."

I didn't know what a borzoi was but if Kunikida could see the same effect, yet see something different, it meant that it is probably just a perception problem, like I had guessed last night. And even though that eased my mind, I couldn't get rid off the disappointment I felt.

"What's up friends, I am back with a vengeance." Taniguchi sat in front of me as he brought some cafeteria food. "What? It's what I call cafeteria food, it's not exactly the best food. It's the karmic revenge for having so much good luck." He bragged as he quickly bit down on his newly bought sandwich.

I held back my thoughts as I kept eating my own lunch.

"Taniguchi, what do you see here? Kyon says it's a human face and I think it's a dog… ghost." Kunikida gave my phone to Taniguchi and inspected it for less than a second.

"That's a cat, guys. Oh, and some nice legs of whoever took the picture. We can focus on that, since it's… Wait, that's you besides the girl." Taniguchi sent me a confused and envious glare before we explained what he had to do.

"I would say" He chewed and swallowed his food before continuing. "That it looks like a nightmare. Just 'cause there are some human features, it doesn't mean it's a person. Could be like, you know, a freaking gnome or something. Or aliens. Or both things. Or neither, it's just some weird phenomenon I guess."

He took a peek to my direction with a worryingly wide smirk.

"So, what were you doing with Sasaki?" He handed back my phone, as there was a different photo on the screen. He wasn't supposed to see more pictures.

I snatched it back and hastily assembled an answer. "We just had a joint studying session, not whatever is crossing your mind at this instant."

"Sure, sure. I won't pry into your private life. I'm just saying, you two complement each other perfectly. Am I right, Kunikida?" He nudged his elbow into Kunikida, who just laughed awkwardly and nodded.

"Anyways, tomorrow's saturday. I know Kunikida doesn't have any plans, but what about you?" Taniguchi asked me as Kunikida tried to say something.

"I should be free. What do you want to do?" I finished my lunch and covered the container with its lid. I was unexpectedly hungry today.

"Just hanging out, I know of a nice place. I'm asking since maybe you had something to do with your totally not-girlfriend."

"We're not anything like that, you know it." I replied as if I was battered by his words.

"All in good faith. You can ask her to come if you want, the more the merrier. Although her weird comments throw me off everytime, I'll handle it for a friend." His words were drowned on the water he suddenly drank, trying to appear inconspicuous.

I looked around and saw Sasaki sitting on her chair, apparently having returned from the cafeteria as well. She seemed lonely as she looked through the windows, trying to look at something interesting before the bell rang.

"She's always been somewhat distant to everyone else, I guess it could do her some good if she went out with Kyon and us." Kunikida was probably reminiscing from our middle school year.

He wasn't lying either way. Sasaki had never tried to outright socialize with people of our same year, just enough to not appear awkward. It could even be said that she acted like an adult hanging out with children. She could have normal conversations, but only to make the other party comfortable with her presence like in group projects. Was she acting weird? Sure. Was she actually weird? That would be harder to answer. To me, she seemed like the sanest person I had ever met.

"Alright then." Taniguchi got up from his seat and clapped his hands.

"What are you doing?" I asked, not hiding my surprise.

"The friend of a friend is my friend. I have to make up for all the silly things I've done." He answered and headed towards Sasaki.

I could only see Sasaki's expression throughout the whole affair. I caught a glimpse of her eyes looking at me for explanation, but whatever confusion she had quickly deflated and started nodding and smiling as Taniguchi explained his plans.

I wasn't even sure what had gotten to him, but it truly looked like he was doing it out of good will. Which was surprising, because it was Taniguchi. I wouldn't say he's a bad person, but he's also not the type to act around instantly.

"I'm guessing having a girlfriend is having a positive effect on him?" Kunikida mentioned, trying to explain the situation.

I simply shrugged as a triumphant Taniguchi returned and sat down with a grin.

"Well, that's taken cared of. Tomorrow the four of us will meet up."

"I'm going to need some explanation about what just happened because I'm very confused." I said as the bell rang behind me.

"You and Kunikida know her enough. I feel like I should as well. We've been in the same class for a year and the only time we interacted I kind of stepped over the line."

"I didn't know you two even talked before." Kunikida inquired after finishing his own lunch.

"It was just a brief exchange. It was like, what, first day of the first year? Whatever ideas I had were quickly shot down by Kyon and whatever she told me. So you know, this is a way to ask for forgiveness."

"Shouldn't you have done that like a year ago when it happened and not right now?"

"Better late than never! I'm a new Taniguchi, with 30% more manners. Also because my girlfriend doesn't like it when I lack them."

Kunikida threw me a 'I told you so' glance and I asked once again.

"You're not saying that because you saw her legs on a photo, right?"

"What do you take me for? Of course not. I mean, sure, it was a factor, I'll admit that. But mostly the friendship and manners stuff. I'm not going to steal her or anything like that, I'm already taken!"

I didn't answer as I just went back to my seat and plummeted into it.

"I've never had someone apologise so much to me before." Sasaki's words barely reached my ears with all the clatter of people sitting down and dragging their chairs back to their place. "Where are we going tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'll tell you once I know."

"By the way, I have to go the school library to check if there's a certain book, so wait for me at the entrance."

I didn't think much about it and agreed. "What book is it? Something life changing?"

"I hope it isn't. It's called Zenarchy."

"Wow, that sounds…"

"Very boring. Probably because it is. I'm not even completely sure if it's supposed to be serious or not."

* * *

I stopped at the gate and stood there, arms crossed, as students headed home or towards their club activities. It could take a while for Sasaki to come here, since whatever books our highschool has aren't exactly the best. I couldn't do much more except wait.

My eyes drifted upwards as clouds covered the evening sun, the first few scouts that warned us of an upcoming storm. The last thing I needed was getting wet, but there was no reason to believe I wouldn't get home before that.

"Waiting for someone as well?" A girl near me said.

It was another student of North High. A tired student. Those were the first words that crossed my mind as I noticed her. Her features were young and fragile, with her hair combed into twintails, with a weary smile that tried to hide her weighted down condition. Whatever that was, it seemed to not stop her joyful voice.

"I am, yeah." I hastily said, since I didn't want my eyes to stay too long on her face.

"Sorry for interrupting your thoughts, I've never seen you waiting around before so I was a bit curious!" She pointed with her head towards a group of people who were doing the same as us, chatting and waiting. "I already know those guys. Nothing odd about them."

"Ah, I see. So does that mean I'm odd? Because I'm as common as doves."

"I don't know that yet." A giggle escaped her lips. "But you know, people who look very unnoteworthy make themselves more noteworthy. Like spies who know so much about their cover that they appear suspicious. Maybe you're like that." I turned slightly as she kept talking with me.

"That's way too interesting to be me. So…" I considered ending the conversation right there, but my boredom decided against it. "Who are you waiting for?"

"Just my partner in crime." She pulled out a paper tissue and wiped her nose. I wasn't focusing on it, but I saw from the corner of my eye some red stains on the tissue before she crumpled it. "This spring is killing me, I'm not even allergic."

"I guess so." I would say spring hadn't even arrived yet, the trees and flowers were barely blooming but I wasn't in the mood to point it out.

She didn't reply and I didn't want to force the conversation, so I thought that she had fulfilled her curiosity. I wasn't someone especially interesting, or that's what I always though.

"Have we met?" She suddenly said after giving me a full head to toe scan with her eyes. "I feel like we've met before." She pushed on as she walked in front of me with a solemn expression.

As I could see her better now, there was no doubt I had seen this girl before. Taniguchi mentioned her when he was talking about cute girls like months ago. I could see where he was coming from. Although right now I felt like I was cornered by a rabid animal.

"Maybe? I can't say we've ever talked though."

Her heavy aura suddenly lost heart and turned into her previous tired stance.

"Oh, yeah. I'm guessing you're from 2-5? 2-9's dreaded enemy. Last year we beat you on that football match. I didn't really pay attention but I saw you playing. You're the one who went flying after a sliding tackle, am I right?" She maintained a soft smile that I couldn't figure out if it was threatening or innocent.

"That was Taniguchi. Although I was tackled as well… But if you knew that we had already met, why did you ask me?"

"Oh. Well, it's better than waiting around without doing much. Besides, it's a conversation starter and I just remembered it. You're a pretty defensive person. Or maybe I'm being awkward?" As much as it looked like she was trying to save face, a girl feeling guilty was my Achilles heel.

"Don't worry, I just had trouble sleeping so I'm a bit on edge." I excused myself as I kindly as I could.

"You and me both. Although I guess I've already grown accustomed to it. You would think less sleep meant less dreams, but somehow it's backwards." She held the handle of her school bag closer to herself. "Everybody likes having dreams but mine are just awful."

"I've had some weird dreams lately and I sleep a normal amount. It might be just bad luck." I tried to steer the conversation to a lighter theme, but she cut me off.

"Bad luck, yeah, I would say bad luck. It's better to think that than blaming oneself." She slightly furrowed her brow before sighing. "Sorry. Like I said, I'm also nervous because of the lack of sleep. Why were we talking about this again?"

"Probably because you're bored enough to strike up a conversation with a random stranger."

"Well, not stranger. Like I said, I've seen you once before and…" Her face dawned on confusion as she sized me up again. "Anyways, thanks for not running away, you seem the kind of person who listens to everybody's problems."

"I've been told something similar to that, I'm not sure if I think the same. I guess I've learnt to listen to so many complex stories about philosophy that nothing sounds too strange anymore."

"Funny you say that, I used to love those types of conversations." She brushed away some hair locks while giving me a once-over. "I thought they helped understanding this world."

I wasn't sure why she was looking at me so much, but I tried to not think about it.

"Really? You would love talking with one of my friends then. She's a bit of a cynic, but with your last comment I guess you're one as well." The girl pushed her chest forward while keeping her arms behind her back, hiding her bag. I made sure to not stare.

"And you? Do you like those conversations?" The shift on the conversation was palpable, as her expression acquired a detached stare.

"I think they're interesting. Even though I don't always agree with her complex explanations on people or the world, a down to earth look on life isn't so bad. But… I'll admit that it lacks the excitement that I'm not sure if I even want." She raised her brow, as if urging me to continue, but I didn't feel like telling someone else my life story.

"That's a commendable view. You wouldn't want to open Pandora's box. You have the opportunity to not do it." She closed her eyes as she continued. "Sometimes knowledge is a horrible thing, so you should stay put like you're doing."

My body tensed up as my gut was telling me that I shouldn't continue talking with this girl. She irradiated a soft caustic aura that wasn't normal. I could feel that my mind was already sending signals to all my muscles with the only command of getting ready to fight or flee. But my eyes were glued to this girl, and so was my stupid, daft search for the unknown.

"Right… So why do you not like those types of conversation anymore?" I continued with the topic, even if I could tell there was something off with this girl.

"Oh, it's easy to explain but hard to say." She licked her lips before continuing. "But if I start I won't stop, are you sure about it?"

Of course I wasn't sure about it. I still nodded against my better judgement

"Picture an ocean. The bottom of the ocean. You got it?"

"Sure."

"Good. It's pitch-black down there, and you're walking through it, blindly, arms outstretched." She did as she said and continued. "But you're not alone. There are many, many things down there with you. And mostly you, we, go unnoticed. And then you made a wave. A disruption in that ocean. You may not realize when it happened, it doesn't matter when. But suddenly, they see. And they come pouring out of the walls you thought were so solid a second ago and there's not a thing you can do. And then, just before they get you, you remember it all. You're reduced to nothingness in your own mind and this terrible euphoria overcomes you." Her calmed words contrasted with her tired face and warped smile, like the complete opposite of Sasaki's own philosophical ramblings. "The sublime."

"You're talking… metaphorically, right?" My mouth was left dry as her words stitched to my clothes and mind. Her dry smile cracked as I answered and was replaced by disbelief.

"What I mean to say is that… What we know, where we think we're headed doesn't matter. Who cares who controls the world? Who cares who created it? Who cares about that? We won't be able to know why we're at the mercy of these beings. You should stay put and make as little movements as possible. Because you can't run afterwards."

I tried to say something. Anything. No sounds came up. I didn't know what to tell her. This girl talked like everything she believed in had shattered.

"Here." She gave me a piece of paper that I unconsciously grabbed without a question. "I would like to meet again. I feel like there's a lot we have to talk about and I wouldn't like this to be a ship passing in the night."

As I slowly came back to reality, I noticed a person walking towards us with a hardened expression.

"I've never seen you talk so much, Kyouko." That person said while wrapping his arm around the girl's shoulders and giving me a wry smile. "Who's this? Someone you knew from before?" The guy with the blond hair sneered as he got uncomfortably close to her.

"I don't think he's from before but he's different. This is… I don't think we ever exchanged names?" She said, her previous monotony disappearing in an instant.

I answered as I refused to look at the guy.

"Such an imposing name. I'm Tachibana Kyouko. A pleasure to meet you. And this jerk is Fujiwara."

"His name, while noble, doesn't ring a bell." His face lost interest on me as I had told him my family name, stopping the sneer with just an intense glare. "Does it remind you of something?" He almost whispered to Tachibana.

"No. Oh, well, a famous general had his same name. It might not be written the same way." She pressed her back against Fujiwara and looked at me again. "We can talk again if you want. It depends on you. But remember my words."

With that, the couple went out of the gate and the world suddenly started moving again. The students' chatting. The sounds of wind. The steps taken by every person. All those sounds had disappeared when I was talking to that girl, Tachibana. Something was wrong with her, that much was clear.

I looked at the paper she gave me. A phone number, hers presumably, written down with her own hand. Why did she have this already prepared? I didn't know the answer. I didn't know many things. I felt like I had been pulled down the ocean and as much as I tried to come back to the surface, I couldn't. And with that, I didn't realise I wanted to talk with Sasaki more than ever.

"Have you seen a ghost?" Sasaki waved her hand in my face to check if I was still inside my head. "You don't look okay."

"I just… had a very weird encounter right now." I grasped the bridge of my nose before continuing. "I'll tell you later, I wouldn't want you to be late to cram school because of me."

Sasaki's shoulders slumped and forced her hand towards my forehead. "You're a bit cold."

"Lack of sun." I said while forcing a smile. There was no point of talking about that girl with her right now. "I'm fine, no worries. You'll laugh about it tomorrow anyways." I started walking.

"I'll be angry if you don't, because it feels like you've seen your grades again." Her lips curved as she quickly adapted to my pace.

"Very funny. But remember I'm the one who has to give you a ride towards the station."

"Speaking of ghosts, I've heard the conversation you had with your friends." She ignored my words and pulled out her phone. "A ghost in a photo, eh?"

"I thought you weren't there when we talked about that." If Sasaki had heard that conversation, then she had heard the rest of it as well.

"I wonder how I know that?" She mentioned with a slick smile. "I'll tackle both of your questions in one go. Let's start with the second one. How did I know you've been talking about ghosts? It could be A; that I am actually God and I am omnipresent. Or it could be B; Kunikida told me five minutes ago."

"It's probably the latter." She gave me a lopsided grin as she heard my words.

"That's right, being a god sounds like a hassle and it isn't possible for me to become one. The simpler answer is normally the right one; the law of simplicity. So let's move forward. Between a ghost in your room and a glitch in the image, what is more likely?"

"Well, the glitch. I mean, technically I came up with that conclusion yesterday." I simply said as her eyes widened.

"Oh. Then this is embarrassing. And here I thought I could be acting all cool. Why were you talking about it then?" She hastened her pace in response to my answer, as if she wanted to escape her words.

"Honestly… I just wanted to be proven wrong. Sure, I prefer having a cat snooping around rather than a ghost but there is something inside me that wanted it to be true." I looked at my phone's clock and checked the hour. "We should probably speed up, I don't want my chances with the traffic."

"Speaking of cats, how's your stalker?"

"Good grief, don't make me start because I'll never shut up. You see, yesterday…"


	4. A taste of the past

My eyes opened briefly as I once again woke up unexpectedly from my sleep. My hand moved around my bed until I was able to find the alarm clock. 5 A.M., so there was still plenty of time to enjoy my sleep. I didn't know if I had fallen asleep before I started hearing the noise again, completely removing any intent I had of sleeping. This time it didn't sound like a ticking clock, more like the noise of high heels walking around but not as loud, as if the thing making the noise was trying to be silent. It was still coming from the same direction.

This time I didn't hesitate to walk up to the screen door.

It had to be the cat.

That was the only answer that made sense.

So when I abruptly pulled open my curtains and saw nothing at all, a load of confusion filled my head. I rubbed my eyes and inspected it again. Nothing. The only thing I could see was the tree in the neighbour's lawn and their house next door. Yet the noise continued. It still came from this direction, be it from the window or around it.

I looked up, down, right, and left. Nothing odd. I placed my hand against the window, searching for vibrations to no avail. However, as thorough as my searches were, I couldn't find any culprit. Blaming the lack of light, I flicked the light switch and tried to end this nonsense once and for all. But just like last time, the noise stopped as soon as the light flooded my room. Even then, I didn't finish my search and continued for a few more minutes. Shortly after, I returned to my still-warm bed after switching off the light.

My mind suddenly remembered and lingered around Tachibana's words. Perhaps whoever is making the noise is inside the walls.

* * *

Saturday once again.

I woke up relatively early for a weekend, but both of my parents were already up. My sister was still sleeping. Out of annoyance or perhaps pure curiosity, I asked them if they had heard any noises at night. As expected, they didn't hear anything. I brushed it off for the moment, but the thought still lingered on my mind.

The day continued without anything noteworthy. I exchanged a few messages with Sasaki and Taniguchi, mostly transmitting the hour and location of the meetup point. Not too long after I had lunch, I headed out.

"Good afternoon, cat," I said as I shut the front door behind me. "Are you always there, or do you just wait until I head out?"

The animal was in the same position as yesterday, laying down on the wall surrounding the house. Even then, the cat was utterly still, watching over me.

"You know, if you're going to stay around here, you're going to need a name." Several cat-like names crossed my mind, but not even one of them fit it. "You're probably a female since male calico cats are scarce and… Ah, forget it."

I got a hold of my bike and headed out, this time feeling less intimidated by the feline stalker.

After passing a good deal of time pedaling and finding a spot to lock up my bike, I slowly reached my destination in the city downtown. Crossing the street to reach a plaza near the train station, I spotted a long and restless queue crossing the corner of the square. Whatever it was, my attention focused on a voice calling me.

"What's up Kyon, come' ere." Taniguchi was already there waiting for us. "You're the first one to come."

"Hey there. I didn't expect you to be the first one to arrive." I guessed Sasaki would be here beforehand, but I was wrong.

"My scores might be crap, but I still know when to arrive at the right hour." He said with a goofy smirk.

"I could say the same." I pondered for a second before asking something. "So why did you actually invite Sasaki?"

"I told you, didn't I? Because I wanted to be nice and-"

"That might be part-true, but I want the real reason." I interrupted him. "You're not the type of guy who acts for the sake of it. It's like you've been body swapped or something."

"Geez, so hostile. I'm really doing it to be friends with her too." He accepted defeat with a heavy sigh. "But also, there's a place where you get a discount if you bring four or more people."

"That sounds more like the old you."

"Hey, what the hell! That's just the secondary objective. Because seriously, this new place I'm talking about? They're serving like some refreshing drink. Apparently, it gives you good luck and tastes like the heavens; everybody is crazy about it." He explained with a quick gesture to the queue outside the plaza.

"I was about to ask. Forming a line that long for just a drink sounds excessive."

"Yep. So you know it's good." He glanced at me, a wry smile painted on his face. "Maybe you'll get the luck you need with Sasaki, eh? Or maybe she'll be the one to confess?"

"Sasaki? In love? That's like mixing oil and water. If you had to listen to the number of explanations on the biology and psychology of love like I've had, you wouldn't even dare to make that question."

"Hey, I understand why people get hungry, and that doesn't make me immune to it! Besides, this kind of thing is better to ask before you regret it." His voice tone slightly changed as he said those last words, but quickly regained his usual cheer. "Yo, look who it is."

Kunikida and Sasaki were talking, slowly walking towards us, more than likely fighting each other in a battle of wits. The two students with the best grades in class were friends with the class' two worst students. That irony wasn't lost on me.

"Hello, everyone." Sasaki greeted us while waving her hand. Her casual clothes were as ordinary as any other, but watching her with a purse instead of her school bag was refreshing. "Thanks for inviting me."

"No problem, it was Kyon's idea." My eyes rolled over to Taniguchi as he said those words.

"It was a collective idea." I countered as I looked over to Kunikida for support. "It wouldn't be fair if you weren't invited after all since, excluding the man changed by love, Kunikida and I are friends with you."

"I get it, I get it, no problem," Sasaki mentioned as she observed us. "So, what's the plan?"

"The plan is..." Taniguchi mimicked the sound of drums before pointing at the crowd of people with an extravagant cheer. "To wait in that queue!"

Sasaki stared at the line of people with a neutral expression.

"That does sound like a plan. What are we in for?" She expressed.

"I think it's because the nearby cafe got some new owners, and they've expanded their business. Everyone keeps talking about it, they're a bit too overenthusiastic over the idea, in my opinion. It's just beverages, right?" Kunikida pointed out, giving us some new knowledge.

"New owners, huh?" Sasaki muttered. "Then, let's see what they have in store for us."

"I like the way you talk!" Taniguchi almost yelled. "Let's stand in line before more people come in."

We made our way to the queue and waited. While Sasaki and the other two talked, I began to notice an odd trend in the people coming in. They all looked our age; I couldn't see anyone older than me. But some were different. Those shifted nervously, glancing around at the people behind them, trembling now and then. With time, I realised something else. They tried their best to ignore the window displays of the different shops that the queue passed by.

"And what do you think, Kyon?" Sasaki asked me something, perhaps noticing that I wasn't listening.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to get either. I mean, we don't know the new drinks or pastries." I answered correctly, leaving her with a small smile.

"Why don't we let Sasaki decide. You know, since… She's kind of the guest?" Kunikida mentioned sheepishly.

"Oh, good grief. I see what it is. I'm here to decide what to drink, huh?" She calmly said with a wicked smile. "And here I thought you were considerate with me."

"See, she's talking like you as well. She's totally in love." Taniguchi whispered to me.

"Shut up." I hissed back.

"How long has this new menu been on anyways? I knew about the cafe, but I haven't heard about any changes." Sasaki inspected the rest of the queue, noticing the odd strangers.

"Uh… Dunno. At least a few weeks. I wanted to come with my girl, but you know, she was against the idea." Taniguchi confessed. "Something about not liking the circumstances, she's kinda cryptic sometimes."

"There does seem to be…" Sasaki tiptoed for a moment, looking into the far distance. "Something odd about it."

A yell made us turn toward the front of the line. A deranged man seemed to be wrestling against another bulkier and healthier man.

"Let me in you damn…! I have to get in there! They're coming, they're coming, and we can't stop it!" The crazed man groaned.

The bulky man shoved him, but the lunatic charged back in. Without any other option, the muscled man punched him in the face, knocking him out in one punch. Some people stared for a moment and went back to waiting, while others tried to check on the man's condition.

And then there was Sasaki. As if the quarrel had never happened, her expression was blank and deep in thought, slowly recording what had happened into her mind.

"Damn, he got one punched. He wanted to cut in line or something?" Taniguchi casually said, bumping his elbow against me.

I gave some half-assed answer as I nudged Sasaki to break her out of her trance.

"That was something." Her response was half-baked and automatic. "They're coming, he said."

"Probably referring to the other owners, who knows?" Kunikida tried to make sense of the situation as well. "The line is still advancing."

I followed him, only to be stopped by Sasaki.

"Hey, you didn't tell me what happened yesterday." Her fingers ran through her hair. "Are you going to explain it to everyone? Or do you want to talk about it privately?"

"It's fine. I'll explain it when we get in." Without further ado, we followed the other guys.

Shortly after that, we discussed the situation, not too shaken by the experience, and continued to advance to our objective slowly. Taniguchi cracked some jokes, Kunikida tried to stop him while Sasaki encouraged him. I couldn't say that regardless of the strange experience, we weren't having an awful time. I felt strangely at ease, watching Sasaki being her usual self and not the typical girl act she put up in front of strangers. Our eyes met for a brief second before continuing their way.

"And finally, here we are, Café Dream." Taniguchi pointed out as he stood still in front of a window display, with a few wallpapers and signs covering the entrance.

"It seems the same as always in the interior," Sasaki mentioned as she studied the insides of the shop.

In the middle of the street, not too far from the train station, was the café Taniguchi was talking about. It looked a bit out of place with the rest of the city, with two decently sized alleyways separating it from the other building. These alleys were decorated with a few artistic murals, making them look less shady and warmer to the bystander. The windows were big enough to let sunlight into it, and you could barely see your reflection on them.

The interior wasn't any less decorated. The tables were neatly arranged, filled with plates and cutlery, but with not a speck of dust on them, coupled with the floors followed the same style. Modern yet rustic. And surprisingly small. However, appearances were deceiving, and the strange pungent odor that emanated from it made me ill at ease, like the smell of grease and rot. Nobody else seemed to notice.

* * *

Luck was on our side, and we quickly took over a table that had been abandoned by their previous users a few moments before. There were still a few empty glasses and dirty plates on it, but losing the table was a worse fate than this.

With the waitresses very busy, I decided to talk about my strange encounter with Tachibana finally.

"Taniguchi, you're the kind of person who knows girls from other classes. Do you know Tachibana? Kyoko Tachibana."

His eyes wandered off to some point of the ceiling before gathering enough information to tell.

"I used to know more about her half a year ago. Things haven't changed much, I guess. Class 2-9, above-average test scores. Twintails with a light orange colour." He spat data almost like a robot. "What about her?"

"I'll tell you in a while. Is Tachibana part of any clubs?"

While Sasaki contemplated the exchange quietly, Kunikida and Taniguchi were more interested than usual on the new topic.

"No, not anymore. Last year she was in the calligraphy club, but she ended up leaving. In the blink of an eye, apparently. I'm not sure of the details, but I think there was some bad blood between them. Ever since then, she's been looking very different, which is why I think she was dumped or something like that. Maybe parents suddenly died or something, that kind of stuff."

"She's been different? In what way?" Taniguchi gawked at me as if I had suggested jumping off a bridge.

"I can explain that one." Sasaki casually expressed after leaning forward. "I used to interact with her from time to time."

"You did?" I blurted out without thinking.

"Yep. Not in a personal way or anything. At lunchtime, we used to cross paths. So after a while, we started greeting each other. I deduce it's before the incident you mentioned, Taniguchi. Because after that, she never appeared again, and in every other instance she ignored me. We didn't exchange names or anything but she acted quite differently, detached from the world in a way."

Kunikida was wringing his hands, listening carefully to the conversation before finally launching me a question. "Why did you ask about her?"

I didn't spend too much time explaining what happened. However, I clarified anything noteworthy, especially the last part of our conversation. I made sure to describe the monsters and the strange deep-sea she talked about with glee in her eyes as detailed as I could. I got some mixed reactions, going from Kunikida's quiet nodding from Taniguchi's overreactions.

"She's crazy, duh." Taniguchi answered before giving his full attention to the many waitresses, overloaded with work.

"Perhaps she's depressed or paranoid. Maybe it's just a metaphor to say that she needs help to get out of an oppressive environment like in an old novel." Our brown haired friend gave his thoughts, clearly drawing from literature.

"The way Kyon described it sounded more like a warning. A deep ocean isn't exactly what a normal person thinks of hell, but I think you're on the right track, Kunikida. After all, our vision of hell is a composite drawn from fictional sources such as The Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost, it's not exactly a fire pit. Hell is supposed to be a museum of regrets. If she views hell as an abyssal plain devoid of senses, something she has experienced, whatever she saw in Kyon was enough to warn him about that supposed terror."

"This is much easier than all that weird crap." Taniguchi said while trying to gather the attention of a waitress. "Kyon attracts weird girls, that's a fact."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?" I jumped in, somewhat offended.

"I just mean that-" His eyes lingered on Sasaki for a moment before choking on his own words. "T-That you have a knack for weirdness around you, you know?"

"Regardless of Kyon's magnetism, it just seems like an odd exchange rather something to get scared about. Fearing hell is tantamount to fearing the plot of a Stephen King's novel." Sasaki's words were always filled with an unchallengeable logic that made it hard to stand up against.

"Is there anything else worth mentioning? Maybe it can help us close the case." Kunikida's voice took on humble confidence that made it easy to agree with.

"I guess. It's… strange to explain. She talked oddly, you know? Like switching between characters? She also gave me her phone number out of nowhere."

"She gave you what? After that bullshit?! What, how? What's your deal, did you call her? What charm did you use on her?!" Taniguchi almost lost his nerve and started to goad me into telling the secrets I didn't even know I had.

I couldn't help but notice Sasaki's curious yet melancholic gaze, which I hadn't seen in at least a year. Like a child who had received fruit instead of Halloween sweets but was too late to complain.

"That's the Taniguchi I recognise." Kunikida said as he tried to calm him down.

"I didn't call her or anything, don't you see she was very creepy? Who knows why she did that."

"I think you should call her." Sasaki chimed in with words I never thought I would hear. "After all that, I want to know more. Not exactly the actions of a sane human, right?"

"I'm not sure I share the same feelings…" I rubbed the bridge of my nose before continuing. "I think I should forget about it."

"Really? Why? I feel like you'd like to explore the mystery." The manner her words left her body was similar to a puppeteer's measured movements.

"If this keeps up, I feel like she'll approach me after classes and try to stab me with a knife. No, thanks."

Sasaki's stare was hard to get a read on, but her intensity transmitted to me that she accepted my answer but didn't share it.

"Sorry for the wait~" A familiar waitress quickly rushed over, trying to take away all the dirty glasses on the table. "Oh, if it isn't you guys! Sasan and Kyon, my favourite couple! What brings you here~? Is it some super-secret stuff? Philosophy meeting? Or maybe it's the tasty treats?"

With her long greenish hair and enthusiastic attitude, there was no doubt that this waitress was none other than Tsuruya. I had met her quite some time ago, while I was helping Sasaki with the school's culture festival. A more accurate explanation is that she met us because she felt like it.

"Hello Tsuruya, long time no see." Sasaki was quick to create measures to stop the waitress' thirst for knowledge. "Taniguchi recommended the place. That guy there."

"Oh, I know him." She said with an odd look on her face. "But I also know you! Hi Kunikida, did they force you to hang out? Such nice friends! I finish my shift in half an hour, can I join as well?"

As soon as she said that, she disappeared with a mountain of plates in one hand.

"She's certainly as explosive as I remembered." I voiced my "Very. I already feel tired." Sasaki said with a slight smile.

Kunikida and Taniguchi, however, had something else in mind.

"Y-You knew she worked here? Is that why you wanted to come?" Kunikida muttered as he tried his best not to be embarrassed.

Taniguchi giggled like a little schoolgirl.

"Ah, my dear friend. I'm afraid you are being used in my evil plot. If it weren't for this, you wouldn't have come here on your own. I know you have a thing for her, and if I brought Sasaki and Kyon, she would want to join us. Thank my girlfriend for this ideal plan, because I sure as hell haven't come up with it!" Taniguchi puffed his chest in pride at some unknown plot I was unaware of.

Kunikida's face started to shift into a red hue as he laughed nervously at this strange predicament.

"That seems very convoluted." Sasaki pointed out.

"What? Who is your girlfriend? She knows us?" I brought up to no avail, as our energetic maid reappeared as quickly as she had left.

"A~lright, what's your order, guys?" Tsuruya appeared out of nowhere, with a notepad, pen, and grin prepared.

"I'll have a black coffee." Sasaki took advantage of the confusion in the table.

"What, you're not going to ask for the weird brew? I'm proud of you, Sasan!" Tsuruya gleefully said, writing it down.

"I wanted to ask about that; I don't think it's on the menu?" Taniguchi asked.

"Hm? Well, it's called 'Maiden's Love.' It tastes like… strawberry or something? Tastes different depending on the person." She explained, quite badly.

"How's that possible?" Sasaki chimed in again.

"I don't know. I don't make them!" Our maid laughed at her ignorance. "Apparently the recipe came up when a heartbroken school girl asked for a Velvet Shake, another one of the new drinks. Then, a single of her tears fell on the beverage. After she drank it, a boy who just entered the shop fell in love with her."

"That doesn't explain anything." Sasaki pressed forward. "Like, what is it made of?"

Tsuruya fidgeted in place and glanced at the kitchen counter, where an old lady seemed to be inspecting all the waitresses.

"So yeah, that's how the story goes. I honestly wouldn't recommend them bu~t… You heard nothing from me."

"Sounds a bit girly, but I'll take it," Taniguchi said. "I'll let you all have a taste if you're curious."

I did little to express the diffuse anxiousness I was experiencing at the moment. There was something off in this whole scenario. The smell? The strange acclamation for a simple drink? The unfamiliar patrons that appeared out of nowhere? Why did nobody else find this suspicious?

I turned to Sasaki, searching for support in her logical answers, but I found her staring towards the buildings outside the shop. I didn't find any reason to voice my complaints.

* * *

Before I realised, Tsuruya had come back with everybody's drinks. The shop's gallant drink, the Maiden's Love, was of light pink with stripes of some other red addon. It contained some other slices of cherry or any other fruit with red flesh. Taniguchi looked at it with joy before plumping four straws into it.

"Well? Who wants to try it first?" He pushed the milkshake to the middle of the table.

"I'll pass," Sasaki answered first. "I don't like sugar-filled drinks."

"Me too, I won't be able to sleep tonight even with just a sip." Kunikida continued.

"Come on, Kyon. Don't leave me alone with this one." Taniguchi beckoned me with a fake pout.

I didn't want to try it, but I was also curious. And curiosity killed the cat.

"Fine, give me that."

I pulled the milkshake towards me and took a moment to reconsider my decision. Taking a straw, I had trouble absorbing the liquid towards my mouth, and when it finally reached it, the taste of grease and vile almost made me push the whole glass to the ground.

"What? Is it bad?" Taniguchi asked, pulling the milkshake towards him.

I coughed and held back the vomit traveling through my throat. Festering nausea that stuck to my tongue prevented me from saying anything.

Without much thought, I gulped down my coffee in one swing and breathed relieved as the nauseous liquid disappeared from my tongue. The aftertaste was still there, but it was tolerable.

"It's bad luck to choke with the first taste," Sasaki told me as she patted my back. "Are you okay? You looked a bit out of it."

"Yeah, thanks Haruhi. It tasted revolting. How the hell can you drink that?" I directed my words at Taniguchi, who was using two straws for drinking the strange viscous liquid.

He stopped drinking it to answer me. "Really? It tastes to me like one drink I had in middle school, in a Tanabata stand. Kinda citric, like an orange. I guess it does taste different to each person." Finishing his explanation, he continued to drink it.

"Good grief, it must have been pretty bad because you forgot my name," Sasaki mentioned, cracking a smile.

"What? Did I?" I stuttered.

"You called her Haruhi or something like that? Who's that?" Kunikida followed up.

"I... don't know? I don't know anyone by that name. I must have bitten my tongue or something." I tried to explain. "Sorry about that."

"Ah, don't worry, I think it was funny." Sasaki continued. "Taniguchi does know every living girl on the planet. Perhaps he knows who that is."

"Hey, what is this reputation I've achieved? The only Haruhi I know is from that host club anime that... that I don't watch, okay?" Taniguchi stopped before giving us a serious look. "Please, don't tell my girlfriend about me knowing every girl in our high school."

"Okay, you stop that, tell us who your girlfriend is!" I almost yelled. "It's like you're omitting it on purpose."

He opened his mouth to answer when thunder suddenly shocked us all. The rain started to pour as the people who were walking on the streets.

"The forecast said it was going to be a sunny day." Sasaki nonchalantly voiced.

"Forecasts aren't an exact science." Kunikida explained with a worried tone. "But, a thunderstorm is quite scary either way."

The organic, bad taste in my mouth distracted me from the second thunder that flooded our ears for a few seconds. I glanced at the half-filled milkshake glass and looked at the several waitresses running around the place, serving the same substance to different clients who drank it with feverish enthusiasm. From there, my eyes slowly moved towards the kitchen, behind a big metal door.

What the hell was going on in there?


End file.
